her.

Dangerous as was the situation of the youth, he did not forget another
incident which was liable to add to the difficulty of extricating
himself. From the moment he began his flight several of the Pawnees gave
utterance to shouts which were clearly meant as signals. These had been
repeated several times, and Deerfoot could form no suspicion of their
full meaning. Had the red men been Shawanoes, Wyandots or almost any
tribe whose hunting grounds were east of the Mississippi, he would have
read their purpose as readily as could those for whose ears they were
intended.

The interpretation, however, came sooner than was expected.

Deerfoot ran a little ways with such swiftness that he left every one
out of sight. Then he slackened his gait, and was going in a leisurely
fashion, when he came upon a narrow creek which ran at right angles to
the course he was following. The current was swift and deep, and the
breadth too great for him to leap over.

He saw that if he ran up or down the bank too far, he was likely to
place himself in peril again. He could have readily swam to the other
side, but preferred some other means, and concluded to take a minute or
two in looking for it.

A whoop to the left and the rear made known that no time was to be lost.
He was about to run in the opposite direction, when he caught sight of
the bridge for which he was hunting. A tree growing on the opposite side
had fallen directly across, so that the top extended several yards from
the shore. The trunk was long, thin, covered with smooth bark, and with
only a few branches near the top, but it was the very thing the fugitive
wanted, and, scarcely checking his gait, he dashed toward it, heedless
of the Pawnees, a number of whom were in sight.

He slowed his pace when about to step on the support, and placing one
foot on the thin bridge, tested it. So far as he could judge it was
satisfactory, and, balancing himself, he began walking toward the other
shore. Only four steps were taken, when a Pawnee stepped upon the
opposite end, and advanced directly toward the Shawanoe.

It began to look, after all, as though Deerfoot had presumed too far on
his own prowess, for his enemies were coming fast after him, and now,
while treading the delicate structure, he was brought face to face with
a warrior as formidable as Lone Bear or Eagle-of-the-Rocks.

But there was no time to hesitate. The Pawnee had caught the signals
from the other side of th